| dc.description | The objectives of this project are as follows:
1. To examine the literature on FMs through a social economy lens:
a) To examine and compare the role of FMs in the development of local
food systems in different global contexts - e.g. North America, Europe,
Asia, Latin America;
b) To gather information on the history of FMs in Canada, particularly BC and AB contexts (ie. origins, locations, function, organizational structure) and what influences have shaped this. What is the distribution of public, social, and private investment in supporting the development of farmer’s markets in BC/AB (land, buildings, infrastructure, administration). What actors within the social economy are taking the lead in this area, and what role do FMs play in their larger objectives/initiatives?
c) To identify themes emerging from the literature regarding the successes and challenges of FMs, and if possible to assess the extent to which FMs are (or could be) a driver of community food systems.
2. To develop individual case profiles (shortened version of a case study) of FMs clustered within a regional setting in BC and AB (no more than 10 FMs in each province) in order to evaluate and compare their current and potential role in advancing local food systems, individually and as part of an interacting regionally-based network. We are particularly interested in understanding if and how a regional cluster of FMs can stimulate short supply chain development. As part of a network analysis, we will investigate a number of relevant variables such as producer marketing mobility within a regional market cluster, competition for marketing space at different FMs, and FM relationships to other local businesses and community organizations. What purposes does the FM serve beyond sales – e.g., production and marketing knowledge exchange, political networking and advocacy, building awareness about local production and consumption? What is the potential for FMs to become focal points for warehousing, processing, and other forms of distribution of local food products, including public procurement?
3. To establish a Delphi method of inquiry in order to engage a group of experts (e.g., producers/vendors, FM managers, FM association representatives, academics, government representatives) in: 1) assessing the prospects for, and conditions affecting, FMs becoming a driver of the re-localization of food systems in BC and AB in the coming decade; and 2) proposing criteria for the success of FMs in this role in BC and AB. For further details on this method see attached appendix. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | There is growing interest in the re-localization of food systems. Farmers’ markets are important and increasingly prevalent sites of economic and social exchange in the evolution of local food systems. Little is understood, however, about the role of farmers’ markets in fostering increased local production and consumption, or the broader impacts of these social economy enterprises on the communities (both urban and rural) and regions with which they are associated. The goal of this research is to examine and compare the current and potential role of farmers’ markets in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, as social economy drivers for local food systems. | en |
